Running away and finding faith

Main menu

Post navigation

Product Review: Gospel Transformation Bible*

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

~Luke 24:27 (ESV)

While at a conference a couple of weeks back I had the privilege of meeting with a representative from Crossway publishers and was given an advance copy of The Gospel Transformation Bible. Now that it has hit the shelves I wanted to write a quick product review with some of my impressions.

First and foremost, this is not your typical study Bible. It does not have much in the way of cultural or historical notes, imbedded images, diagrams, or maps, nor does it include additional articles on theology, biblical interpretation, and so forth. So if that is what you are looking for I would direct you to the ESV Study Bibleor the NIV Study Bible.

BUT, what it does do is help you, the reader, see the truth that all of Scripture does indeed point to Christ. As such, it most certainly lives up to its name and promise. What I like about this resource is that it is kind of like reading through Scripture and having a skilled Bible expositor sitting alongside you, showing how each passage of Scripture highlights the Gospel story. The footnotes are more of an exposition on Scripture than a series of technical notes. As such, I have really appreciated using this resource for devotional purposes and it has encouraged me to see Christ in all of Scripture as well as understand the implications of the Gospel message for everyday life. Contributors to this resource include respected preachers and commentators like Bryan Chapell, Dan Doriani, Michael Horton, and so forth.

That being said, a couple of disclaimers are necessary. First, a good reader must recognize that the comments in the footnotes, as good as they are, are the perspective of one contributor. So any good study into the text should involve doing your own careful study as well as consulting other resources. Hopefully what you read in the footnotes simply whets your appetite and encourages you to dig deeper. Second, the perspectives in the footnotes are predominantly from the Reformed tradition within American evangelicalism. As such, those looking for insights from other theological traditions or from the non-Western church will need to look to other resources.

Overall, though, this is a great resource for devotional reading and for helping seekers understand how the Gospel story is woven throughout the whole of Scripture. Crossway has once again delivered an excellent product for the building up of the Church. I have found it personally enriching and encouraging and would strongly recommend it as a devotional aid.

My Rating: 8.5 out of 10

*DISCLAIMER: I am not being paid by Crossway for this review. The comments are purely my own.